Additional Non-Personnel Budgeting Guidance

Blended Learning Curriculum for Content Areas (Electronic Learning)

Blended Learning Curriculum will be managed by subject matter content areas. The Ed Tech/Library team manages equitable learning tools such as Office 365, Typing Agent, and Kidblog. Schools should budget for all other digital curriculum using their flexible dollars budget in collaboration with their content cluster instructional teams.

Budgeting & Procurement Guidance

Follow these guidelines to budget for Blended Learning Curriculum by budgeting funds into “Electronic Learning.”

• Schools determine which programs they want to use based on recommendations from the specific content teams and with Instructional Superintendents. If schools do not budget and procure for the program(s) on time, the program will be turned off for that school.
• Advance Funds: If the program start date is BEFORE 10/1/2021, use FY22 Advance Funds. We recommend using advance funds whenever possible to ensure students can begin day one.
• Electronic Learning is a subscription and may cross fiscal years
  • Programs with new contract start date of 10/1/2021 or later CANNOT use advance funds.

Recommended Programs Schools May Budget For

Please contact the vendor POC to obtain accurate quotes while setting your budget.

Points of Contact

• Scott Abbott, Director, Social Studies, Abbott@k12.dc.gov
• Gabriel Cartagena, Director, Secondary Math, Cartagena@k12.dc.gov
• Charlene Evans-Smith, Manager, Secondary Interventions, Evans-Smith@k12.dc.gov
• Emily Hammett, Director, Elementary ELA, Hammett@k12.dc.gov
• Kaiulani Ivory, Director, Elementary Math, Ivory@k12.dc.gov
• Jason Moore, Manager, Elementary Interventions, Moore2@k12.dc.gov
• James Rountree, Director, Science, Rountree@k12.dc.gov
• Elizabeth Sauler, Director, Language Learning, Sauler@k12.dc.gov
• Abby Welsheimer, Director, Secondary ELA, Welsheimer@k12.dc.gov

School Partnerships

Purpose

DCPS defines a partner as an organization or group that is committed to work with DCPS to make sustainable impact on a shared goal around student success. Partners may include community organizations, afterschool providers, corporations, donors, and/or vendors that collaborate with schools throughout the year (e.g., curriculum or professional development partners).

While many partner organizations are free to schools, there are several partner organizations which do require a fee, and therefore it is important for schools to consider all potential budget implications.

Restrictions

Only the Chancellor or his designated deputy has the authority to sign a legal Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with partner organizations. If a partner approaches a school asking to sign a legal document that engages the school in promises and programmatic responsibilities, please refer the organization to the DCPS Office of the General Counsel.

Specific Partnership Reminders

Below is a reminder on how schools should budget for the following partnerships:

City Year implements a Whole School Whole Child model through a group of carefully selected, highly trained AmeriCorps members who provide individualized support to at-risk students, while establishing an overall positive learning environment throughout the schools they service. All participating schools are required to allocate $40,000 – $105,000 for City Year in contractual services from their school budget. The amount allocated is associated with the number of corps members agreed upon with City Year. Due to the current contract with City Year, which is negotiated by the Contracts & Acquisitions Division, schools should not advance any funds for services in August and September nor should the Principal or any school staff members sign a partnership agreement.

Communities in Schools (CIS) is a nonprofit organization that supports schools by implementing the model of Integrated Student Supports (ISS), a data-driven, evidence-based solution to remove barriers to student success. ISS improves the delivery of services by enabling students to be linked to a broad set of community resources that address numerous needs in a coordinated way. CIS places a full-time site coordinator in each school to assess the needs at the school and develop an annual school support plan that outlines three tiers of supports. All participating schools are requested to allocate a portion of the cost-share for CIS in contractual services from their school budget (price should be negotiated with the partner).

Turnaround for Children (TFC) is a nonprofit organization that supports schools in developing the internal capacity to respond to the challenges stemming from poverty. TFC’s priority mission addresses gaps in teacher and leader preparation and reengineers school behavioral and instructional systems. All participating schools are required to allocate $10,000 – $20,000 for TFC in contractual services from their school budget (price should be negotiated with the partner). Due to the current contract with Turnaround for Children, schools should not advance any funds for services in August and September.

Playworks is a national nonprofit that supports learning and physical health by providing safe and inclusive play to low-income students in urban schools. Playworks works with schools to design curriculum and activities that offer play opportunities during recess, lunch and after school programs. Trained coaches work in schools to run a variety of games and sports, as well as teach techniques in group management, violence prevention and conflict resolution. All participating schools are required to allocate funds for Playworks in contractual services from their school budget. The price of the partnership is negotiated with the partner based on the level of services that are being provided. Due to the current contract with Playworks, schools should not advance any funds for services in August and September.

Budgeting Guidance

The following is a list of the most common costs associated with partner organizations. This is not an exhaustive list and we strongly encourage all schools to work directly with partners to identify all costs. To budget for partnerships, use contractual services funds.

• Service Fees: Partners may require payment for services directly from the school and/or Central Office team supporting the work. If the school and/or Central Office team intends to pay the partner, they must budget funds in contractual services and complete the procurement process before services begin.
• Custodial Fees: It is likely either the school or the partner will need to budget for custodial overtime if the partner requires building access after-hours or on weekends.
• Security Fees: It is likely either the school or the partner will need to request security overtime if the partner requires building access after-hours or on weekends. School Program Providers that offer programs free of charge to DCPS students and families between dismissal and 6:30pm on school days should not be charged security fees.
• Supplies: While partners typically cover these costs, it is important to discuss who will fund supplies. This may range from office supplies (student journals, pencils etc.), to student athletic gear/uniforms.
• Fees for Families/Students: Many partners, especially after school programs, require enrollment fees for individual families. While this does not impact school budgets, it is important to know the implications for the school community.
• Funding Reliability: Many partners are funded by grants or other funding sources that are not consistently available or are not confirmed until after the school year has begun. On occasion, partners commit to serve a school but unexpectedly lose funding and must stop services mid-school year, which can be a challenge for the school community. To ensure continuity of the partnership throughout the school year, schools must have direct conversations with key partners to clearly identify funding reliability for the full breadth of services provided. Central Office is not able to fill funding gaps to ensure continued services.
  • Ask the partner to confirm that all necessary funding is secured to cover the full scope of partnership for the upcoming year.
  • If the partner is waiting on future grant awards or other allocations, gain clarity from your partner on what will happen if those funds are not secured and identify by what date the partner will know if they are awarded funds.
  • If the school decides to proceed with the partner, even if funding is not fully confirmed, the school and partner should develop an alternative plan if funding does not come through.
  • If this situation arises with a partner, schools are encouraged to contact the DCPS Partnerships and Design Team for guidance at partnerships@k12.dc.gov.

Note on Afterschool Programs: Title I elementary schools and education campuses that are part of the 21^st Century Community Learning Centers Out-of-School Time Grant receive an afterschool programs allocation from the Out of School Time Programs division in the Office of Teaching and Learning. This personnel allocation cannot be reprogrammed to contractual services for an afterschool provider. These schools may budget for additional afterschool programing with partners using flexible funding.

Points of Contact

For City Year, general, afterschool and summer partnerships:

• Thomasin Franken, Manager, Partner Engagement, Office of School Improvement and Supports, Franken@k12.dc.gov

For Playworks Partnerships:

• Aronda Johnson, Coordinator, Office of Elementary Schools, Johnson@k12.dc.gov

For Turnaround for Children Partnership

• Natalie Alston, Manager, SEAD Budget and Operations, Office of Social, Emotional & Academic Development, Alston@k12.dc.gov

Communities in Schools

• Carla Mike, Manager, Strategic Initiatives, Mike@k12.dc.gov

Helpful Resources

DCPS Partnerships Database (Search 400+ registered DCPS partners)

ANet Interim Assessments and Professional Development

Purpose

In SY21-22, all schools are provided with ANet interim assessments in ELA for students in Grades 3-10 and Math for Grades 3-8, Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II. Any school wishing to purchase ANet coaching, including current partnership schools, must contact the Manager of Assessment Innovation, Lola Odukoya (Lola.Odukoya@k12.dc.gov), to discuss.

Budgeting Guidance:

Schools can budget for additional ANet support using their contract dollars.

Point of Contact

Lola Odukoya, Manager of Assessment Innovation, Lola.Odukoya@k12.dc.gov

Relay Graduate School of Education (GSE) Leadership Programs 

Purpose 

In SY2021-2022, schools can opt in to receive leadership training and coaching support from Relay GSE. The table below outlines the types of support that schools can opt into with Relay, with associated costs included. Schools can select items that align to their goals and budgets. Any school wishing to opt into Relay programming must contact Chris Miller (Chris.Miller@k12.dc.gov) to discuss.  

Budgeting Guidance

Schools can budget for additional Relay support by budgeting funds into Contracts.  

Point of Contact 

Chris Miller, Director of Cluster Support Model, Chris.Miller@k12.dc.gov

Literacy Partnerships and Programs

Purpose

The Office of Teaching and Learning (OTL) has identified external partners who have proven to be exceptional performers in literacy tutoring. These programs provide effective targeted reading intervention for students, help students develop relationships with a caring adult (or older student), and are less expensive than many alternatives. For these reasons, literacy partners are a recommended component of our reading acceleration strategy at DCPS.

Budgeting Guidance

The Office of Teaching and Learning strongly recommends that all elementary schools with at least 20% of their K-3 population reading below grade level budget for one literacy partner to provide tutoring in SY21-22.

Approved partners include:

• Literacy Lab Reading Corps updated 2/24/21
  • Returning partnerships: $10,000
  • New partnerships: $15,000**
• Reading Partners (cost of $15,000)
• Reach Inc. ($10,000 for high schools and $5,000 for elementary schools)

To work with these partners, schools need to budget the appropriate amount into a “Literacy Partnerships” budget line in QuickBase. All schools wishing to work with a reading partner for the first time should first contact Jason Moore (Literacy Lab and Reading Partners) or Charlene Evans-Smith (Reach Inc.). Prior to submitting budgets, schools should contact the appropriate points of contact to ensure funds are budgeted appropriately.

Central Office Supports

Once budgets are submitted, the literacy team will use the school funds to procure the larger contract with the partners and manage the contracting logistics and procurement processes for all approved reading partners.

Point of Contact

For Literacy Lab and Reading Partners: Jason Moore, Manager Elementary Assessments & Interventions, Jason.Moore3@k12.dc.gov

For Reach Inc.: Charlene Evans-Smith, Manager, Charlene.Evans-smith@k12.dc.gov

Flamboyan Family Engagement Partnership

Purpose

Supported by the Flamboyan Foundation, the Family Engagement Partnership (FEP) helps school leaders and teachers engage families in ways that benefit student success. In SY21-22, Flamboyan will not be adding new partner schools. Participating schools receive coaching, training, and ongoing support in the following areas:

• Relationship-Building Home Visits: Teachers and families form trusting relationships through home visits. Schools are not responsible for budgeting for staff compensation for Home Visits, although teachers must enter home visit information into Flamboyan’s online database and school-based timekeepers will be responsible for using this information in order to enter Home Visit hours in PeopleSoft. Since school closures in Spring 2020 due to COVID-19, schools have stopped home visits and have shifted to virtual relationship-building practices with support from the Flamboyan Foundation. Home visits will resume pending health and safety guidelines.
• Academic Partnering: The Flamboyan Foundation provides training for three different types of academic partnering to enable families to support academics at home: 1) Academic Parent Teacher Teams (APTT); 2) Parent Teacher Conferences (PTC); and 3) Student Led Conferences (SLC).
• Ongoing Communication: Teachers receive training and support to help them establish regular and ongoing communication with students’ families.

The FEP is designed so that schools’ autonomy increases over time while Flamboyan’s coaching, direct professional development, and technical assistance reduces over time.

Program Guidance

To ensure that DCPS has a sustainable approach for effectively embedding family engagement practices in school communities, and to enable Flamboyan to fund effective family engagement across more schools, Flamboyan asks partner schools to contribute to the costs of the partnership.

How to budget for this partnership:

Schools will receive a quote for their minimum possible contribution in early February. The contribution guidance below applies for elementary and secondary partnership schools.

The funding for Flamboyan must be budgeted in Contractual Services.

Central Office Supports

Financial

• The Family Engagement Division provides financial support to schools for academic partnering. Partner schools receive funds from central budget to purchase learning supplies for each round of academic partnering ($5 per pupil).
• The Family Engagement Division compensates teacher leads who take on additional responsibility to support staff and ensure the quality of family engagement at their schools. Teacher Leads receive a $2,000 stipend paid out bi-annually.
• Prior to COVID-19, the Family Engagement Division also provided staff compensation for home visits from central budget. Home visits and compensation will resume pending health and safety guidelines.

Non-Financial

After budgets are finalized, the Family Engagement Division works with the Office of the Chief Financial Officer to encumber, or freeze, the minimum contribution from each school’s budget to facilitate procurement and payment to Flamboyan. If a school owes more than their minimum possible contribution, the Family Engagement Division will work directly with the school to procure the remaining balance from the school’s Contractual Services object code.

Flexibilities and Restrictions

• Participation in this partnership is entirely voluntary. Schools are issued an updated Expectations Agreement (sample linked below) from the Flamboyan Foundation every year. Principals should review this sample agreement before budgeting for their contribution.
• Once partnership with Flamboyan is committed to and budgeted for, funds are swept from school budgets and cannot be reprogrammed or repurposed.

Helpful Resources

To learn more about this partnership’s supports and expectations, please refer to this sample School Expectations Agreement from Flamboyan.

Point of Contact

Sophie Hagan, Family Engagement, Sophie.Hagan@k12.dc.gov

Budgeting Accurately Using Historical Data

Budgeting Recommendations Using Historical Spend Data

Principals and finance professionals should look through their historical spend data and identify the appropriate amount of non-personnel funding they need to budget for in the different spending categories. Typically, non-personnel funding is the last to be budgeted and often what is sacrificed. While various Central Office teams related to the initiative have been able to support some of the time, Central Office does not have the ability to supplement school budgets during the year when they do not have sufficient non-personnel funding. Schools must ensure an adequate NPS budget for their needs throughout the year. Additionally, planning with historical data can reduce the need for reprograming during the summer or throughout the school year.

Reprograming

Schools can reprogram non-personnel dollars throughout the year but may only reprogram personnel dollars during the summer reprograming window. When Principals develop budgets in QuickBase, they budget funds into specific line items. When it comes time to procure goods and services, there may not be sufficient funding loaded in the correct budget line. Principals and finance professionals request to reprogram NPS funds into the needed budget codes to make the procurement. This process is done with the OCFO budget analyst.

The most common reasons for Non-Personnel reprogramming are:

• During budget development, funds were budgeted in the wrong place
• During budget development, not enough funds were budgeted for needed goods/services

When building the NPS budget for the upcoming year, Principals should not just budget the same amount as the prior year. To minimize the need for reprogramming, the Finance team recommends that Principals consult their finance professionals and look at historical NPS spending along with projected end of year spending.

Commonly Re-Programmed Goods and Services

The tables below display examples of goods and services commonly requiring reprogramming and the correct QuickBase line to budget them in. The first table outlines goods/services that are typically entered in the incorrect line in QuickBase. The second table illustrates goods/services that often do not have enough money budgeted in their QuickBase line requiring Principals to reprogram money from other funding lines into the depleted one.

Points of Contact

• Mariam Abdelhamid, School Finance Specialist, Mariam.Abdelhamid@k12.dc.gov
• School Finance Team, dcps.schoolfunding@k12.dc.gov 
  

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